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20 nov 2015

Did you know that O'Hare International Airport will be one of the busiest airports in the country this Thanksgiving week? More than 3 million Americans are expected to fly during the Thanksgiving holiday, with the majority of travel occurring on Wednesday and Sunday.

Be sure you're working during this high-travel season in order to take advantage big-time demand

21 nov 2015

In the fight for precious parking in Chicago, aldermen have added limousines to the class of vehicles that aren't welcome on city streets.

The City Council passed a proposal spearheaded by Northwest Side Ald. Ray Suarez, 31st, on Wednesday prohibiting limos, "whether for hire or not for hire," from parking "at any time" on either residential or business streets within city limits.

Taxis and vans are allowed to park on business streets under city ordinance.

Many of the larger limo services in the Chicago area are based in suburbs close to O'Hare International Airport, so it's unclear how great an impact the parking rule change will have.

The limo parking ban, which will take effect in the next few weeks, comes as Chicago undergoes a seismic shift in the way rides are hired thanks to the expansion of companies like Uber.

City officials have struggled to regulate the new industry, with taxi drivers complaining the ride-share rules backed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel don't do enough to level the playing field by requiring the drivers of private cars who work as drivers for Uber and other ...

21 nov 2015

CHICAGO — Two identical Town Cars drive down Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Both have just picked up clients from a Chicago restaurant and are en route to a Chicago theatre for an evening show. One car has a city license plate and a chauffeur with a City of Chicago chauffeur license, or “hard card”, both of which cost the operator a large chunk of change, not to mention a lengthy and stringent application process. These credentials allow the operator to do business within city limits.

The other car does not have city plates or a hard card chauffeur, did not shell out extra cash or go through extra training and a stringent application process, yet it’s still operating within the city and it’s doing it legally.

According to the law, the second car is fine without the Chicago permits because the trip originated in the suburbs, simple as that. It may not seem fair on the surface — especially from a city operator’s perspective — but a closer look shows that it all balances out. In fact, suburban operators may be the ones getting the short end of the stick.

If a limo operator wants to do business in Chicago and go point-to-point within the city, he needs a city license plate. To get one, the business has to be registered inside the city of Chicago with proof that t...